Chapter 1

 

Something was wrong. Kate looked up from her journal, her head cocked to one side as she tried to figure out just what made her think that. She heard a thump and a muffled scream seconds before her cabin door was kicked open. Her pen fell from fear-numbed fingers as she stood, backing away from the immense man that blocked the doorway. The chair toppled over and in that second she realized that the ship was silent - the motor had stopped.

"Hey there, Pretty Girl," growled the man, stepping toward her, rope in his hands, "Turn around and you won't get hurt."

Kate stared at him, her breath catching in her throat, "Who are you and what do you want?" They were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and she had never seen this man before and the crew was not that large.

"Don't cause me problems, Bitch, and turn around!" He took another step toward her, pulling out a long knife from his belt.

Slowly she turned around and held as still as she could as her mind whirled. What was happening? Where had he come from? She felt the man get closer to her and she yelped in fear as he grabbed her arms, pulling them behind her. With practiced skill he crossed her wrists and bound them with plastic ties. The realization of what could happen to her hit her with full force.

"Oh God, no!" she panicked, kicking back and connecting with a solid thump. The man fell to the floor, crying out, holding himself and cursing. Kate bolted out of the doorway and down the narrow hallway, stumbling in fear. She tried to remember where on this yacht anything was, but fear clouded her mind. She headed for the back of the ship. Last she remembered her cousins were supposed to be back there sunbathing. She had to warn them. Running, she rounded a corner and ran headlong into another man. The force of it knocked her to the deck, where she lay stunned for a moment. A moment long enough for the man - another stranger - to lean over her.

"What's this now?" his eyes showed a dark hunger that made her ill.

Kate looked into his eyes and knew she didn't know him. She kicked up, remembering her hours in self defense classes and connected with his knee, listening to him scream as he fell to the deck. Struggling to get to her feet again, Kate was pushed back to the deck by a boot in the small of her back.

"Someone bind her feet, would you?" The voice was an almost lazy and bored British accent, but the power of his boot into her back held her easily until someone grabbed her ankles and with another pair of plastic ties secured her ankles, leaving her on the deck.

They left her there on the deck. She could hear them going through the ship, room by room. Somewhere she could hear someone crying. Determined not to be a victim, Kate tried to inch her way toward the closest door. She had to find some way to cut her bonds. She had made it several feet across the deck toward the main salon when the boot was back, pressing into her back again. The pain pressed her into the varnished deck, making her gasp.

"You are a determined one aren't you?" There was amusement in the voice this time. With ease, the boot flipped her over so she was blinking up in the sun at the owner of the boot and the voice. He stood very tall, dark hair and eyes, over the white shirt and dark jeans.

She lay there for a moment as he looked at her with interest. He wasn't part of the crew either. How had they boarded the ship without the crew noticing?

"Please, what is happening?" Kate asked, fearing the answer.

The man crouched down and ran his fingers across Kate's face, smiling when she tried to draw back, "Since you asked so nicely. We're pirates. You know -- sailing the seven seas, taking bounty. And we found your ship."

Kate blinked a few times as this sank in. It couldn't be. This couldn't be real. Yet she knew there were still pirates, but it was so far fetched, so unreal. "When you get what you want here, you will leave?" Maybe they would take anything worth value and just leave them alone. She clung to that hope.

The man smiled a feral smile that made her shiver, "Oh yes... and the crew will be left unharmed, the engine repairable in time. We will take what we want and be gone."

Kate relaxed a little, not totally believing him as the he looked up to another of his men, "Are we ready?" The other man must have nodded as the man with the boots clapped his hands once, "Let's load up then and get moving. Butch, you help with the others, I'll get this one." He hefted Kate up and flung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"What are you doing?" Kate kicked at him with her bound feet and struggled like a wet cat. "Put me down!"

He didn't reply, but carried her to the back of the yacht. With the help of another of his crew, they got her across to their ship which was pulled up along side. He dumped her on the back deck of his ship and then left as the rest of his crew came aboard and they cast off. Kate could see her cousins also bound and huddled together nearby. Missy and Heather looked terrified as they knelt crying on the deck, their hands secured behind their backs, wearing only their bikinis.

They were left there, unattended for almost an hour in the hot sun. Missy and Heather had begun to whisper to each other instead of crying. Kate wasn't sure that was an improvement knowing her cousins. As for herself, her arms were sore from being bound and she was developing a thirst that was almost painful. She had managed to wiggle herself into a semi-sitting position by the wall of the cabin, when she heard the sound of Boots coming back.

"I see I am going to have to keep my eye on you, Girl," he said, pushing her, back down to the deck with his foot firmly. "If I wanted you sitting up, I would have left you sitting up."

Missy, one of Kate's cousins looked up defiantly, "I don't know who you are, Mister, but you are going to turn this boat right around and take us back."

Flopped back on her side, Kate moaned to herself. She had a feeling Missy was going to try something like this. Antagonizing these men and making demands was not going to help one bit.

Kate struggled uncomfortably on her side and hissed loudly at her cousin, "Missy, Shut up!"  The girl couldn't be that stupid, could she?  Surely she understood how much danger they were in?

"If you return us to the ship, we have decided we won't press charges. But if you persist on holding us, my father will be very angry." Missy glared at Boots and managed a self-satisfied flip of her wind tossed hair.

Several of the other men had gathered on the deck now and were watching the show. Boots drew out a long knife from his boot and moved closer to Missy. Her show of defiance crumpled as she screamed and tried to back away from it, her bare feet scrabbling helplessly at the deck as she backed into the railing.

"You should have listened to your friend over there and shut up," He pressed the tip of the blade against her skin and moved it slowly down her chest, between her breasts, leaving a thin line but no blood. Missy barely breathed. "You have no voice on this ship. I am the one in control here, and you are nothing. The sooner you understand that, the easier it will be for you." He backed up and stood, looking at the three of them with obvious pleasure.

"Now pay attention, Girls. I really dislike having to repeat myself. You are not going to be held for ransom. I am not going to set you free at the next port. My main reason for boarding your ship was to capture you. I am a slaver. I take women, I train them and I sell them. If you cooperate, if will be much more pleasant for you than you think."

Kate lay still and closed her eyes as nausea filled her. This couldn't be happening. She curled up a bit, as if it would somehow protect her from his words. She could feel the movement of the boat and hear the slap of the waves against the hull.

"I expect your prompt obedience. There will be rewards for those who obey and punishment for those who do not. Count on it. Consider yourselves to be slaves. You have nothing, you are nothing. So, for your first lesson, you will learn that you wear nothing until I have decided you wear something."

The knife flashed at her breasts and twice at her hips before Missy could make a noise. Boots took the scraps of fabric and ripped them from her body and tossed them overboard. Heather, her other cousin cried as her bikini was as easily cut and discarded. Heather curled up on herself, trying to hide her body from the men.

Boots stepped over to Kate and ran the back of his hand down her bare arm, savoring the touch. "You have lovely skin," he whispered to her and smiled as her eyes flickered from the horizon to him for a second. "You are going to be exquisite naked at my feet."

Kate starred at the horizon, fighting with herself not to scream. Why didn't he just do it and be done with it? This was torture. She tried not to shiver as he moved the edge of the knife over the neckline of her dress. Just the feel of the blade against her skin made her want to start screaming and never stop.

"What is your name, Girl?" his voice seemed to be all around her., filling her mind.

She opened her mouth to answer and then shut it. Why should she tell him? Screw the bastard.

Strong fingers forced her head to look toward him and she could see cold anger in his eyes, "Let's learn a lesson, shall we? When I ask a question, you answer. There are no exceptions."

Boots nodded to his men and despite her struggles, they had Kate strung up by her outstretched wrists. He secured her feet to a handy cleat on the deck so her body was taught, almost like a crucifixion. She could support her weight on her toes or when they tired, her arms.

He brought the knife down to her waist and cut the skirt of her dress with a single stroke, bearing her leg and thigh. He reached into a nearby bag and took out a long white stick.

"Bitch is gonna be sorry now," laughed the man that Kate had kicked in her stateroom, "You get her good Captain."

Kate looked at the stick in confusion. Was he going to beat her with it? No. It appeared he was going to poke her with it. She saw the blue arch of electricity at the tip just before he pressed the cattle prod against her bare upper thigh.

Kate screamed and fought the restraints as the pain whipped through her like lightning. And then it stopped. She hung there limply gasping and felt the knife slide over her skin, cutting away her sleeve, cutting down the bodice of the dress until her left breast was exposed.

"I repeat myself," he spoke calmly, moving the cattle prod toward her exposed breast. "What is your name?"

Kate began to fight the restraints frantically trying to get away from the pain before it came. She could hear someone screaming and then she was engulfed in a wash of white hot pain.

The knife cut again at her skirt, slicing away more fabric and this time cutting away at the thin cotton fabric of her panties.

Several of the men made lewd comments. She could feel his fingers invading her, spreading her lower lips and her eyes widened in horror as she realized what he was going to do next. She looked at him in terror and shook her head frantically, "No! Please God, No!"

The Captain just smiled back at her with feral delight, "What is your name?"

"K-kate," she stammered, her mouth dry, her eyes focused on the cattle prod.

"Short for Kathleen," he said knowingly as he lowered the prod and handed it to Francis.

Kate felt something inside of her twist. He had done this to her, knowing the answer. He had forced her to obey. The realization of this, of the casual way he has caused her pain to make her obey sank in as his knife flashed in the late afternoon sun and piece by piece her dress fell to the deck. She felt as if he were baring her soul to the men the humiliation was intense for her. She could feel tears flowing down her face.

The Captain stepped back and admired her. Finally naked, she was indeed a work of beauty. Her skin had a soft uniform glow to it. She had not spent time in the sun like the other two girls, but her skin had a natural hue. Her breasts were nicely sized, full and firm with dark, hard nipples that just begged for torment. Her waist was trim and her hips swelled nicely. Long legs framed a V of dark curly hair that he would have shaved off. Her dark brown hair had a natural curl to it that made him want to tangle his fingers in it and pull her head back, arching her body. With training and some grooming, she would fetch a good price at auction as a sex toy; with work she would fetch a fortune as a submissive.

He looked over his shoulder at the other two that were holding each other crying. The temptation to zap them both with the cattle prod just for good measure was great. Neither of them had the inner strength to make a quality submissive. Still, he would find what area would make them fetch the best price, and he would get it.

"Take those two inside and let Doc run his tests on them. The rest of you have work to do. After dinner, we'll see about having some fun with one of them."

"You Fucking Bastard!"

He turned back to Kate and saw her glaring daggers at him. There was something about her helpless anger that aroused him. He reached up and stroked the soft curve of her breast, caressing the hard nipple until she gasped in pleasure despite herself.

"Get your goddamn hands off me!"

"Such a mouth, Kate," he chided. "I can gag you if you wish." He watched her anger rise and a pink flush spread over her skin. "Of course, I will punish you for swearing." He heard the short intake of breath and caught the flicker of her eyes return to the cattle prod he still held.

He slid his hand down the soft line of her belly and between her legs, seeking out the little button of her clit, "I know you are going to fight me, Kate. And I am going to prove to you that I control you. I will control your pain, and I will control your pleasure."

"Don't touch me! Stop it!" Kate tried to shake his hand free, but her movement was so limited she couldn't escape his hand. Touching herself had never felt as good as his fingers on her did now.

She begged "No, please, No. God, no!" He lowered his mouth to her breast and swirled his tongue over the nipple. It was like a small electric shock from nipple to clit. She sobbed even as she arched her back unconsciously, pressing her breasts out for more.

He laughed and sucked on the nipple, pulling the hard nub into his mouth, ignoring her pleas for him to stop, his fingers rubbing her clit faster and faster until she fought the restraints again, straining to press her hips into his fingers. Then he stepped back, watching her body strain with desire to follow his fingers.

Her eyes widened with frustration and fury. She began an inventive stream of curses; fighting the restraints with such determination that he watched carefully to be sure that she would not injure herself.

Without taking his eyes off of her, he reached into the bag and found the ball gag. He waited and when she paused for breath he moved. Pulling on her braid, he forced her head back and forced the ball gag into her mouth. She was shocked long enough for him to get the first strap buckled. It took two sharp slaps to her face to get her to hold still long enough for him to finish buckling the rest of the harness. He took his time making sure the straps were secure and checking her fingers and toes to be sure that she wasn't going to be damaged from this ordeal. At this point, she was in the shade, so there was no worry of her getting sunburned.

"Enjoy yourself, Kate. Doc will be by later to do some of his exam. We'll discuss your language later," he gathered up his bag and left her.